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Thought Sparks

Thought Sparks

By: Rita Gunther-McGrath
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Thought Sparks are the brainchild of Rita McGrath. They are insightful actions, strategic ideas, actionable suggestions and innovative approaches that help organizations and leaders master the future with less fear and more confidence. New episodes of the Thought Sparks Podcast are released every other Tuesday at 11am Eastern.Rita Gunther-McGrath Economics
Episodes
  • Building Lasting Organizations with Rita McGrath and Dave Whorton
    Apr 7 2026

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with Dave Whorton, Founder & CEO at Tugboat Institute, and co-author of Another Way: Building Companies That Last…and Last…and Last alongside Bo Burlingham, which gives practical advice and explanations of Evergreen companies: focused on long-term stability and steady growth, and leadership beyond personal wealth generation.

    00:56: The HP Origin Story and Learning to See a Different Way

    3:58: From Reluctant Venture Capitalist to the Evergreen Discovery

    9:59: The Tugboat Metaphor

    10:51: The Book's Approach to Learning in Real Time

    14:44: Financial Transparency, Jack Stack, and the Great Game of Silicon Valley Business

    18:01: The Wealth Trap and What Evergreen Leaders Model Instead

    22:15: How Evergreen Leaders Approach Boards

    25:30: People First: The First of the Seven P's

    30:22: Perseverance and the Debt Question

    30:45: Customer Intimacy Over Competition-Watching

    37:10: Why Aren’t More Companies Like This?

    40:02: The Scale and Diversity of the Evergreen World

    49:00: Weighing up Venture and Evergreen

    52:45: AI, Careers, and the Changing Unit of Value Creation

    Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?

    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.

    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.

    Connect with Rita on TikTok.

    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.

    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

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    1 hr and 1 min
  • AI and Human Capabilities with Rita McGrath and Johan Roos
    Mar 31 2026

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Johan Roos, Global Chief Academic Officer at Hult International Business School, co-creator of LEGO Serious Play, and author of Human Magic: Leading with Wisdom in an Age of Algorithms.

    00:30: Introductions — A Long Friendship and a New Book

    6:00: The Genesis of Human Magic — The Central Question

    10:34: The History Behind the Idea, From 2012 to ChatGPT

    17:58: The Five Cs: The Core of Human Magic

    22:42: Algorithmic Citizenship vs. Professional Citizenship

    28:24: The Junior Talent Problem and Unintended Consequences

    35:50: AI in Business Schools and Lessons from Hult Business School

    40:04: The Future of Business Schools and the MBA

    44:08: Rethinking the Role of the Professor

    50:35: What Human Magic Hopes to Accomplish

    53:45: Science Fiction, Warning Signs, and "Your Choice"

    55:06:What's Next for Johan Roos

    Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?

    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.

    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.

    Connect with Rita on TikTok.

    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.

    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

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    58 mins
  • The Future of Employment with Rita McGrath and Deborah Perry Piscione
    Mar 24 2026

    In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, sits down with Deborah Perry Piscione, co-author of the book “EMPLOYMENT IS DEAD: How Disruptive Technologies are Revolutionizing the Way we Work” and co-founder and Chief Future Officer of the Work3 Institute.

    0:22: Welcome and Introduction to “Employment is Dead”

    1:39: The Core Thesis: Why Employment as We Know It Is Ending

    6:18 The Destruction of Jobs: AI, Humanoids, and Physical Work

    14:18: Carlota Perez’s Theory of Economic Transitions

    17:54: The Work3 Institute: Advising Organizations Through the Shift

    20:32: Education: What K–12 and Universities Must Become

    27:23 Alpha Schools and New Models for Learning

    31:00 Economics, Purpose, and the Meaning Crisis

    37:40 Humanoids, AI Relationships, and Human Identity

    42:49 Optimism, Pessimism, and Where We Stand

    50:11 What Leaders and Organizations Should Do Now

    52:15 Where to Learn More

    Want to learn more about Rita’s ideas and hear more of her conversations with business leaders and innovators?

    Listen to more Thought Sparks Podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

    Watch Thought Sparks episodes on YouTube.

    Follow Rita on LinkedIn, Instagram, X and Blue Sky.

    Connect with Rita on TikTok.

    Sign up for her Thought Sparks Newsletter on Substack.

    Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com

    Show more Show less
    54 mins
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